


Young and Beautiful

by fath



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Relationships, Background Sabriel, Books, Bottom Dean, Customer Dean, Diners, F/M, Gabriel Being Gabriel, Insecure Castiel, Insecure Dean, M/M, Masturbation in Shower, POV Castiel, Sam Ships It, Top Castiel, Waiter Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-07-23 00:32:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7459641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fath/pseuds/fath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel works as a waiter in a small town diner with his brother, Gabriel. He has a degree in psychology and his brother is a failed comedian. Both are trying to make keep themselves financially afloat. Their lives are boring and dull. Nothing ever happens in their little town.</p><p>One day, two men walk into the diner. The smaller of the two immediately catches Cas's eye. He looks like a god - certainly way out of Cas's league. The waiter figures he will never see his attractive golden-haired god ever again...</p><p>What he doesn't expect is for Dean Winchester to keep coming back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my new fic that I wrote three chapters of in one day. 
> 
> It's inspired by the song "Young and Beautiful" by Lana del Rey, so if you want you can listen to the song. It'll kind of give you the basic theme of this fic right away (hopefully).

            Cas was wiping down the tables when they walked in. Both tall, mysterious, and handsome—looking like they just walked out of some cheap smutty novel you pick up in the checkout aisle of a grocery store. Cas had to pause as the two men walked up to the counter where Anna was working the register. “How may I help you two gentlemen?” Her high-pitched, sweet voice rang through the diner like a bell. He did his best to act disinterested and continue his work, but every now and then, he caught his eyes wandering off to stare at the two.

            “Uh, we’re hungry—you guys still open?” the shorter of the two—blond, bow-legged, and muscular—queried.

            Anna gave a bright smile and nodded. “You bet—don’t close till midnight so you two take your time. You can sit wherever you’d like.” The diner was empty apart from the two mystery men, Anna, Cas, Chuck (their chef), Zachariah (the sous chef), and Gabriel (the bus boy). Cas watched from the corner of his eye as the two men chose a corner booth, sliding into the round, circular cushion that usually sat four or five.

            Cas quickly finished up his last table and jogged over to the counter. “Want me to get them?” he asked. A part of him was thinking along the lines of the extra tip money, the other was solely focused on how attractive they both were.

            He studied Anna as she looked at the seating chart behind the counter. “Well…” she murmured, almost disappointedly. “They _are_ in your section.” She pulled out two menus and handed them over. “Go for it.”

            Giving her a nod of gratitude, Cas headed over to the two men. It was then that he finally got a chance to study them better. The smaller of the two with the blond hair looked like a regular god. His sun-kissed skin and chiseled features made Cas’s mouth run dry. The closer her got, he noticed the freckles that dotted his cheeks and nose. But it was his eyes that really made Cas’s heart flutter like a hummingbird’s wings. They were green like emeralds—the color alone brought him back to the cabin in the woods he and his brothers would visit in the summer. Those eyes were so green they reminded him of the forest—the wilderness. It took Cas a moment to get his thoughts in order as he handed over the two menus.

            “My name is Castiel, and I’ll be your waiter for the evening,” he said in a low voice. Now that he had managed to break eye contact with the green-eyed god, he wasn’t eager to reestablish it and get trapped in that daze again. So this time, he studied the other man. In Cas’s opinion, the second man was not as attractive as the first. He was taller by an inch or two—and a great deal taller than Cas—and had long, brown hair that fell to his shoulders. The prickly beginnings of a beard were sprouting on his face and his blue-green eyes had a sort of lost, puppy-dog look to them. This second one wore a dark blue flannel shirt while the green-eyed god had on a leather jacket that smelled faintly of whiskey. “Can I get you two gentlemen started with something to drink?”

            “Water for me, thanks,” the taller one said with an appreciative nod.

            “Jeez, Sammy, you’re boring,” the green-eyed god teased. He looked up at Cas then. Cas looked back out of habit and the pair locked eyes again. “What else you got besides water, Cas? I can call you Cas, right?”

            “Uh,” his mouth went dry again. “We have… Coke products… Lemonade… Strawberry lemonade… Iced tea…”

            “I think I’ll have an iced tea today,” the god said with a faint grin.

            Cas gulped, resisting the urge to bite his lips. “Of course… it’s unsweetened, is that alright?”

            The god shrugged. “Whatever.”

            He walked back to the counter, and all the way there, he could feel their eyes burning into his back. Cas slipped behind the counter and knelt down to retrieve two glasses. Anna had disappeared into the backroom, probably to go on break. As he fumbled with the glasses, he overheard a little of the men’s conversation.

            “Dean, I think you scared our waiter,” the taller one—Sam, his name was—remarked.

            “Scared him?” Dean repeated. “What d’you mean?”

            “I mean, every time you spoke, he looked at you like a deer in headlights.” Cas felt heat rush to his cheeks. Was it really so obvious? He shook his head—it was wrong to eavesdrop to begin with. As he filled up the drinks, the sound of the soda machine blocked out the rest of their conversation.

            Balancing the two drinks in one hand, Cas grabbed straws and made his way over to the table. He set the beverages down on the table, each in front of their own respective drinker. “Have you two decided what you’d like or do you need more time to look over the menu?” Cas tried to keep his voice formal, and did his best not to look the god in the face. _Dean._ His name was Dean.

            “Uh, I know what I want—you good, Sammy?” Dean prompted, shooting a look at the man across from him.

            Sam nodded once, his jaw tightening a little. “Yeah, I’ll have the… Summer Salad—that’s the one with strawberries right?”

            Cas found himself smiling as he nodded. “Yep, that’s the one. Regular dressing okay?”

            He nodded. “Yeah, thank you.”

            With a deep breath, Cas finished writing down Sam’s order before looking up at Dean. Again, those green eyes met his cerulean ones and Cas was struck breathless. He found it difficult to form a coherent sentence. He had intended to say “And for you?” but it ended up just coming out as a strained “You?”

            Dean smiled—pearly white teeth and dimples. Cas’s breath hitched in his throat. _How can one man be so gorgeous?_ _It just… shouldn’t be humanly possible._ “I’ll have the double bacon cheeseburger with fries, Cas,” he said. Cas hadn’t noticed before—the way Dean said his nickname… the way it rolled off his tongue, sweeter than sugar and smooth as silk.

            “Right—” Cas needed a second. He quickly cleared his throat as he scribbled down Dean’s order in what looked like chicken scratch. “Right, got it.” As he turned away from the table, he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. His face was hot—sweltering with embarrassment. His stomach even felt a little queasy. After putting in the order, Cas retreated to the kitchens where he knew Anna was probably hiding, but she wasn’t the one he was looking for.

            He found Gabriel in the very back, washing cutlery. “Gabe,” he called, voice breathless—exhausted from the encounter with Sam and Dean. His knees felt weak as he staggered toward his older brother. When he reached the counter, Cas put all of his weight on it, arms shaking in order to remain upright.

            Gabriel looked up at him, eyes slightly narrowed in confusion and lips almost puckered. “You okay, bucko? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Gabriel was several inches shorter than his little brother but made up for it in concentrated sass and bad humor. His dark, golden hair looked a little disheveled from work—almost frizzed. There were bags growing under his whiskey-colored eyes and his age was beginning to show in the lines that were forming on his face.

            “Gabriel…” Cas gasped. “This is going to sound really stupid…”

            “You usually do, but continue,” the older brother quipped.

            “There is… a really… _really_ attractive man out there and I’ve already embarrassed myself in front of him several times, and I just want to curl up in a ball under the counter and die,” Cas blurted out. He put his head in his hands, still leaning against the counter. He knew he looked like a total nerd, but he didn’t care. How else was he supposed to react? Even though he would have loved to flirt with the blond god and maybe even meet him at a bar later—or even better, his place—that wasn’t who Cas was. Cas wasn’t a flirt. He wasn’t a smooth-talker. He wasn’t sexy. He was just… Cas. A raven-haired, blue-eyed waiter that had worked at the same diner since he was fifteen and lived with his big brother in an apartment just across the street. He didn’t party or go out looking for a good time with some hot guy—he liked to stay at home, drink some green tea, read a book, maybe take a bubble bath, and then play solitaire on his phone until he was tired enough to finally pass out from exhaustion.

            Gabriel perked his head up. “Really? Where?”

            “Corner booth,” Cas grumbled under his breath, still not looking up from his self-pity session. He heard Gabriel’s footsteps as he snuck away from his post to peek out the kitchen window. A minute later, he returned and whistled. “Well damn, you aren’t wrong,” he chuckled. “I love me a guy whose hair is long enough for a man-bun—and with that beard growing in, he’s gonna be one hell of a good-looking guy.”

            Cas looked up then. “What?”

            His brother looked confused. “What do you mean?”

            “That’s not who I meant,” Cas explained. “I… The smaller one with the blond hair and green eyes?”

            “Oh,” Gabriel realized. He considered that for a moment then shrugged. “Eh, he’s okay.”

            “ _Okay_?” Cas repeated incredulously. 

            He raised his hands in defense. “I just don’t think he’s hotter than the tall one,” he explained. Then, Gabriel smiled to himself. “You know… I haven’t been mountain climbing in a while.” He gave Cas a suggestive wink and that’s all his little brother needed.

            “Okay, well I’m going to go back out there now. Thank you, Gabriel, for being zero help at all.”

            “You’re quite welcome Cassie. Good luck with blondie.”

            Cas hung out behind the counter until their food came. By the time it arrived in the window, Anna had reappeared. As Cas gathered the plates, he didn’t miss the way Anna watched Dean. Somewhere deep inside him, jealousy reared his ugly head. _Stop it, Cas,_ he told himself. He shook his head as he walked back to the corner table. He had no right to be jealous—not when he didn’t even know Dean that well. “Here we are,” he said as placed the two meals before their respective eaters. He found himself smiling and leaned down next to Sam’s ear—he didn’t have to lean down far. “My brother, Gabriel Novak, working in the back thinks you’re really hot,” he said in a hushed voice. As he stood back up, he saw the look of shock on the tall man’s face, but also one of intrigue… Cas would even be willing to say that Sam looked flattered that Gabriel thought he was hot.

            He looked at Dean, and all his confidence faded. The green-eyed god was watching him, smiling again. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he picked up a fry and absentmindedly put it between his teeth. Cas’s eyes flitted down to Dean’s full lips. He gulped, and this time no blood rushed to his face—it was rushing to other, lower regions as his mind drifted off to dirty places and where else he would like to see those lips.

            “Enjoy.” Cas inwardly winced at how deep his voice got then—a result of the arousal he was currently feeling at the mere sight of Dean’s lips. He turned his back on the men and stiffly walked back into the kitchen doors. Cas ignored the sounds of clattering plates as Gabriel stacked up the ones he had washed. The kitchen itself smelt faintly of burger grease and bacon—Dean’s meal. He caught a glimpse of Chuck Shurley—the head chef—wiping down the grill. They were open until midnight, but they rarely had customers that late on a week night. Zachariah, the sous chef, carried more dirty dishes and pans over to Gabriel who was again swamped with work. Seeing this as his perfect opportunity, Cas slipped into the walk in refrigerator.

            Alone, Cas took a deep breath. The cool air did wonders for his _issue_ below the belt. He closed his eyes and tried to picture nothing at all—just complete and total blackness… But no matter how hard he tried, Dean’s face was plastered across his thoughts. The smile, the dimples, the sparkling eyes, the freckles, the lips—all of it was steadily beginning to haunt Cas.

            A part of him told himself to stay in the refrigerator. _Don’t go back out there. Let Anna bring them the check and see them out… Don’t go back or you’ll really make a fool of yourself. You’ve done enough as it is and probably made both of them feel uncomfortable. Dean probably isn’t even gay, you idiot, neither is Sam._ But another part was already pushing at him to head back to the front. He wanted to see Dean again—what if that blond god never walked back through the door again? What if he disappeared forever, only reappearing in Cas’s dreams to torment him as something he could never have? He couldn’t let that happen… He didn’t want that to happen.

            He took a deep breath. “Alright, Castiel.” He raised his hands slightly only to see them shaking. Cas pursed his lips into a determined line and clenched his hands into fists to make them still. “Don’t be a coward.”

            Cas showed himself again to the two men, but this time hung out behind the counter. To pass the time, he opened the register and began to count the money inside. Anna was hanging out just a few feet away, wiping off menus and slyly stealing glances in Dean’s direction. After what seemed like a decade, Sam and Dean rose from their seats. Cas quickly placed the money back in the cash register before fiddling with his pants pockets to find their bill. He tore it off of his notepad and handed it to Dean. The blond god reached out to take it, his fingers brushing Cas’s. That was went their eyes met again, and in that moment, Cas knew that their touch was not accidental. There was a mischievous glint in Dean’s eyes, and then, he winked. Cas’s heart early exploded in his chest.

            “It’s eleven fifty,” Cas murmured with a dry mouth.

            Dean handed him a twenty. “Keep the change, Cas.”

            He didn’t say anything else—speaking was out of the question now. He just watched with wide eyes as Sam and Dean left the diner.

 


	2. Flirt Game on Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, the response to this was almost immediate. I can't express how happy I am that this fic has picked up the way it has. I wrote a few chapters of this beforehand, just to make sure that I enjoyed the topic and I could take it somewhere. Luckily, I not only have been successful in that, but the fic itself has also gotten several comments, hits, and kudos. 
> 
> I hope y'all stick around. I really want to update this once a week from here on out, so look out for updates. However, also be prepared for long gaps in between. That's usually how it goes for me, but we'll see how this goes. I have a writing bug so hopefully I can get ahead while I can.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains implied sexual content.

            Cas woke at seven o’clock in the morning the following day. He could already hear the pipes in his apartment groaning as Gabriel took a shower. With a huff, Cas sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. To bed, Cas almost always wore blue, plaid boxers and a white tank top that had a few chocolate stains on it from his late nights staying up, eating ice cream, and binge-watching Netflix with Gabriel. Cas pushed himself up and went over to his dresser. On the way, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror—tall, skinny, unruly bedhead, and overall pale and gross.

            _Ugh._

            He stripped off his stained tank top and wandered out into the kitchen of his two-bedroom apartment. Gabriel had already been out there—he knew this by the state of the room alone. An empty box of chocolate chip waffles was left on the counter and the toaster was still plugged in. The coffee pot was on and hot, but not brewing. Gabriel hated coffee. He always said it was too bitter, but Cas had taken a liking to it in college.

            _College,_ Cas snorted to himself. For four years he’d gone to school and slaved away for exams and his degree, and for what? He realized how foolish he’d been—what can a twenty-two-year-old man in a small town do with a psychology degree? Well, he found the answer: work at a dive diner with his brother who’s a failed standup comedian in a little town in the middle of nowhere. That’s what he could do with a psychology degree.

            Shaking his head, he started a pot, and watched as the coffee began to trickle down through the filter. By the time the coffee was done and Cas had drunk his first cup of the day, Gabriel was out of the shower. He emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark golden hair looked chestnut when it was soaked and slicked back against his head. “Mornin’ Cassie,” he greeted before retreating to his bedroom.

            Cas just grunted in return. He wasn’t exactly a morning person.

            He climbed into the shower shortly thereafter. The bathroom itself was hot and humid from Gabriel’s shower, and the floor was wet and slippery. Cas let the water roll down his skin, savoring the heat on his tight muscles. He turned and let his back face the spray, letting out a small sigh of pleasure. Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift to the night before—to Dean. Now that he was alone, he could really let his mind wander to dark places he didn’t dare entertain in the diner. He thought of Dean’s mouth again, his thick lips. Cas’s hand wandered down to his stroke his lower stomach slowly. The more he thought of Dean, the lower his hand fell.

            His fantasies of Dean got him lost in the sensations he was treating himself to, and when it was over, he hadn’t even noticed that his water had gone cold. He jumped out of the shower and quickly toweled off. He began to panic slightly. How long had he been in there? Was he going to be late for work? Surely Gabriel would have knocked on the door or something to remind him?

            Wrapping himself up in a towel, Cas ran from the bathroom and turned toward his bedroom. Water dripped from his still soaked body, leaving a trail of puddles behind him. When he reached his bedroom door, he tried to skid to a halt… not his best idea. His wet feet slipped on the hard wood floor, sending him crashing down. His towel got lost in the fall and he landed hard, his head smacking off the wood. At the loud thud, Gabriel came running from his room.

            “Cassie?” he asked, kneeling beside his brother. At any other moment, Cas would have been touched by the genuine concern in Gabriel’s voice, but not today. He pushed himself up the best he could, ignoring the pulsating pain in his head.

            “’M fine,” he grumbled, jerking away from Gabriel’s careful hands.

            Frowning, Gabriel grabbed the towel and covered Cas’s naked lower half. “Shut up, no you’re not. Let me get a look at your face—you hit your head pretty hard, little brother.”

            “No, don’t worry about it, we’ll be late,” he insisted, trying to push himself to his feet.

            Gabriel let him go that time, standing with him and being there to make sure that he didn’t fall. “We have enough time, now will you come here into the light?”

            Cas opened his mouth to protest but decided against it. When Gabriel was set on something, it was hard to change his mind. So, he obeyed and went and sat at the little bar in their kitchen. Gabriel sat in the stool beside him and examined his face. He gently reached out and touched the skin just next to Cas’s left eye, earning a yelp of pain.

            “Sorry, sorry,” he quickly apologized. The older Novak pursed his lips together. “Well… bad news is, looks like you’re gonna have a black eye for a while. But, you’re going to live.”

            He knew he was glaring, and, at this point, was too embarrassed to care. “Thank you for the diagnosis, doctor. Can I go get dressed now?”

            Gabriel ruffled Cas’s wet hair. “Sure think, kiddo.”

            Cas huffed and got up. He entered his room, shutting the door behind him. With a sigh, he went over to his mirror and looked at his face. Sure enough, he could see the dark bluish color beginning to form around his eye. _Great,_ he thought with irritation. _Just great._

 

____________________

 

            Despite everything, the Novak brothers arrived to work on time. When Cas got there, he opened up the store and made sure everything was ready for the day. Anna had the day off, so Meg was there instead. Cas felt himself internally groan when he saw Meg. He liked Meg—she was a relatively nice girl and not bad-looking either. She was petite and had long, wavy, dark brown hair. Her face was pleasant, and she usually had a sarcastic comment to go with everything. Cas was fine with Meg and, once, he may have considered even asking her out (at least before he realized that he was playing for the other team). The problem with Meg was, Meg _liked_ him. He was flattered, of course, and he would politely turn her down each time she came onto him, but Meg didn’t seem to understand.

            Cas told her in the beginning when she started to hint an interest that he was bisexual, but mostly interested in men. She was cool with it, and even said she was drifting that way herself. However, due to his phrasing, he implied that women were not entirely out of the question, it just had to be a very special woman to turn his head. Meg, as nice and pretty as she was, wasn’t the type of woman Cas would be turning his head for. Poor Meg didn’t seem to get that.

            “Hey, Clarence,” Meg said with a smile—her usual greeting. She once said that Castiel sounded like an angel name, and ever since, she called him Clarence after the movie _It’s a Wonderful Life._ Cas found the nickname amusing, but it was nothing like hearing _Cas_ on Dean’s tongue.

            “Meg,” he said softly, slipping on his blue apron. He wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black pants—an outfit he was fond of mostly due to how surprisingly comfortable it was. However, it wasn’t complete without his blue tie and trench coat—that was his favorite, but not exactly ideal for work.

            She slid closer to him as he tied the apron’s strings behind his back. Her brown eyes examined him closely, and she frowned a little. “Do you… have a black eye?”

            He groaned. “Yeah, uh… I got in a fight,” he lied. At least that sounded better than “I was masturbating to a customer this morning in the shower and thought I was late for work so I ran on the wet, hardwood floor and slipped, giving myself this black eye.” He shrugged then, trying to play it off. “It’s no big deal.”

            Meg’s eyes widened. “Jesus, are you okay? What happened? Where was it?”

            “On my way home last night,” Cas lied, feeling slightly guilty. “I ran into some douchebag who was trying to show off to his jerkoff friends. He got in a punch but Gabriel and I fought him off pretty easily.”

            Before she could ask more questions, the door of the diner opened. Cas felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his chest… until he saw who entered.

            _No._

_No way._

_No fucking way._

            There stood Sam and Dean in the entrance just as they had been the night before. Cas’s heart began to pound as loud as thunder as Dean approached the counter. “Hey, Cas,” he greeted with a friendly smile.

            _Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit._

            “You two know each other?” Meg asked with a pleasant smile, looking between Cas and Dean.

            _Shit. Fuck. Fuck me. Fuck me in the ass. No, I’d like that. Fuck! Damn it. Say something. SAY SOMETHING YOU LOSER!_

            “Hello, Dean.”

            _YOU ARE USELESS, CASTIEL!_ _COMPLETELY, UTTERLY USELESS!_

            The door to the kitchens opened and Gabriel poked his head out. “Hey Cassie, can you—” He cut off when he saw Sam and Dean, his eyes immediately glued to Sam. He casually stepped out then and made his way up to Cas’s side. “I… uh… I’ll wait, Cas. Go ahead and handle the customers.”

            “Okay, Gabe,” Cas said, rolling his eyes a little. At least he and his brother were equally awkward.

            “Gabriel?” Sam asked. Cas shot a glance at the taller man to see that his dark eyebrows were arched, and his eyes bore an intrigued look.

            This got the older Novak’s attention. His eyes narrowed. “Yes? How do you know my name because, I don’t believe we’ve met before—I’d remember meeting you.”

            _Wow, Gabe, you’re as smooth as crunchy peanut butter,_ Cas thought with amusement.

            Sam smiled nonetheless at his comment. “A little bird told me your name, that’s all. I’m Sam.”

            “Can I escort you two to a table?” Meg intervened, breaking up the little introduction. She gave Sam and Dean a polite smile and grabbed two menus for them.

            Cas looked up and, to his great surprise, caught Dean staring at him. The green-eyed god quickly averted his gaze upon being caught, but Cas silently savored the gesture. “Can we sit here at the counter?” Dean asked, sliding into a barstool before even receiving permission.

            “Oh, sure,” Meg replied, handing them the menus. Sam slid in beside Dean, his eyes watched Gabriel with a calculated, appraising expression.

            “Hey, Cas, about that thing with the… thing,” Gabriel said, tugging his little brother away from the two men. From there on, he dragged Cas into the kitchen and then shoved him toward the refrigerator. “Did you tell Gigantor out there my name?” he hissed in a hushed voice.

            Cas raised his hands defensively. “Hey, you said he was hot, so I told him you were interested.”

            It took a lot to get Gabriel flustered—really, truly unnerved. He never got embarrassed or nervous—Cas, for years, believed that his big brother had no shame—but in that moment, Cas saw Gabriel’s face turn completely red. “Oh my God,” Cas breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “I embarrassed you.” It took a moment for those words to sink in before he let out a laugh. “ _I_ embarrassed _you!_ ”

            “Shut up!” Gabriel growled defensively. “Or maybe I’ll just tell Dean about your shower incident this morning.”

            Cas felt himself pale. His blood froze. “What?”

            Gabriel snorted. “You didn’t think I couldn’t hear you moaning ‘ _Deeaaannnn_ ’ from the kitchen?”

            “Don’t say a fucking word,” Cas snarled grabbing Gabriel by the shirt collar.

            His brother grinned. “Maybe I will… maybe I won’t.”             “Gabriel! Swear to me you won’t tell, or I will lock your 5’8” ass in the freezer!”

            “Okay, okay!” he relented. “I won’t tell Dean about your fantasies.”

            Cas gave him a death glare. “I swear to God, if you do—”

            “I _won’t,_ ” Gabriel emphasized. “But if you keep telling strange men that I think they’re hot, I might reconsider it.”

            Gabriel headed to the back to help Chuck and Zachariah prepare for the rest of the day, which gave Cas his chance to return to the counter to see Sam and Dean again. Meg was talking to the two when he returned as they looked over the menu. “So you two are brothers?” she asked as Cas came into earshot.

            “Yeah, I’m the older one,” Dean answered, nudging Sam a little. “He’s the baby.”

            Sam rolled his eyes before looking at Meg. “Can I have a glass of water please?”

            She nodded. “Sure thing, hon.”

            As Cas approached, he saw Dean look up and smile. “You got coffee?”

            He nodded. “I’ll get you a cup,” he offered. The mugs were on the side opposite of the counter, so Cas had to bend over to get one. When he stood up, he noticed that Dean was watching him. As Cas poured Dean a cup of coffee, he found himself smiling and wondering if Dean had been watching him bend over. He turned back around and placed the mug before Dean. “Do you want cream?”

            “Nah,” Dean said, picking up the cup and taking a sip. “I like it black.”

            “Me too,” he replied. An awkward silence descended after that and lasted for a minute or so.

            “So, Cas,” it was Sam who spoke, to everyone’s apparent surprise. “What do you recommend for breakfast?”

            He was taken aback by the question a little. “Oh, well, I don’t really eat breakfast that much… But our home fries are good.”

            The two ordered their food—Dean getting a large breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, home fries, and pancakes. Sam got eggs and bacon with a fruit cup, picking a much lighter meal than his older brother. Cas put the orders in and leaned against the counter. More customers came into the diner, many of whom Meg seated and took care of. Cas stuck to the counter and would most expedite orders and make sure things ran smoothly.

            When things calmed down enough, Dean attempted conversation. “You don’t talk much, do ya, Cas?”

            The raven-haired man shrugged. “I guess not.”

            “Hey, is that a black eye?” Dean queried, his eyes squinting a little.

            “Yeah,” Cas mumbled, turning his back to Dean as he filled up some glasses for another table.

            “How’d you get it?” the god pressed.

            Cas felt himself grow very shy. “An accident.”

            That was the most the two said until the order came up. Cas gave the two brothers their food and then got back to work as things picked up. Customers came and went, but Sam and Dean seemed to stick around a while as the latter struggled to finish his massive meal. “I’m stuffed,” Dean declared as what seemed to be the last of the breakfast rush filed out. “Can’t eat another thing.”

            Sam rolled his eyes. “You’ll be hungry in an hour.”

            “Yeah, I probably will be.”

            Cas gave them their check, and when Dean paid for it, the waiter received an overly generous tip once again. “Thanks,” Cas said softly, giving Dean a soft smile.

            “Oh, and take this,” the green-eyed god said, slipping a piece of paper across the counter.

            Hesitantly, Cas picked it up. It was a folded receipt from McDonalds, the order facing outwards. He unfolded it to reveal a phone number with a name written above it: DEAN. Cas’s head snapped up, his cerulean eyes searching for his green-eyed god but coming up empty. Dean had already left. Cas studied the receipt again to see another series of numbers below Dean’s. Above the second series was a small phrase: SAM, FOR GABRIEL.


	3. And So the Real Fun Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap the response to this fic is amazing! I am so glad that people are enjoying it. This chapter has been ready for a while, but I decided I would wait a few days. Chapter 4 is halfway done as we speak, which I'm excited for. Just to let you know, Dean and Cas, while the attraction is there, they're both kinda... well... new at this whole thing, Cas especially. Dean, we'll discover, has never dated a guy before. So these are new experiences for both of them and even though they can't deny what they feel, they're gonna be taking it slow for a bit. :D
> 
> Thank you again for all the support, the comments, and kudos, and bookmarks! It means the world to me that you guys enjoy this!

            Cas got off work early that day, at around three. Gabriel had to stay until midnight again since he was the only bus boy they had. The overtime paid well though, and Lord knows those two needed the money. Cas walked down the street toward the town square. The diner was located almost at the heart of a little town just outside of Lebanon, Kansas. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. There was a small market to buy food, a few other little clothing stores, a coffee shop, a bakery, a bookstore, and several apartments. The bookstore was Cas’s favorite place to go. The smell of books—new and old—and just the calm, quiet atmosphere of a bookstore was unrivaled. As he made his way down the street, Cas pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He had put Dean’s number as well as Sam’s into his phone before he left work, and was considering sending the former a text.

            He scrolled through his contacts until he found Dean and pressed on the name. He chose the “SEND A MESSAGE” option which brought him to the messaging screen. Cas stopped walking and bit his lip. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard on the screen before his pointer finger made the decision. He shut it off and slipped it back in his pocket. Cas got a few more feet before he swore under his breath and pulled his phone out again. This time he typed a single word in the text box.

 

**Hey**

 

            Cas stared at the word. It looked so weird on the screen, almost foreign. After a moment’s consideration, he hit backspace three times and shut his phone off again. He put it back in his pocket and headed to the bookstore. Upon arriving at his destination, Cas let out a small growl. “Fuck it,” he hissed, pulling his phone out for a third time. This time, he didn’t give himself enough time to overthink it. He typed in his message and hit send.

 

**Hey this is Cas**

 

            _There. It’s done. You did it. At least you can say you tried,_ he thought. He put his phone back in his pocket and entered the bookstore. The clerk, a boy who couldn’t have been older than seventeen, smiled at him when he stepped inside. “Hey, Cas!”

            “Hello, Kevin,” he replied with a friendly smile. “How’s school?”

            “Pretty good. I’m ready for senior year to start, though. Summer is boring. All I do is work and volunteer… and do my violin lessons because my mom can be kind of a psychopath when she’s insistent,” Kevin answered, laughing a bit at his own words.

            Cas smiled a little. “Once school is over, everything changes,” he promised. “Got any new releases?”

            “A few, but mostly memoirs or political jargon,” Kevin said.

            Nodding, Cas wove his way through the shelves toward the back. The back was where all the fiction and fantasy novels were—that was his favorite part. Just as he reached the first row of fiction, he heard his phone ding in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the notification: TEXT MESSAGE FROM DEAN.

            His heart did a somersault. Quickly, he swiped open his phone and opened the message.

 

**Dean: hey cas! glad you texted back. didnt think u would**

 

            Cas’s fingers quickly began typing out a message, but he stopped himself. He needed to play this carefully. Dean _had_ to be interested in him—why else would he have given Cas his phone number? But a voice in the back of Cas’s head told him to be wary. _Why would someone like Dean want someone like you? He’s like a sex god and you’re just a pale, skinny, nerd._ He bit his lip again and sent the message he’d been typing anyway.

 

 **Cas:** **sure why wouldn’t i?**

            Moments later, Dean’s reply came.

 

**Dean: idk u seemed kinda outta my league**

            It had to be a joke—a sick, twisted joke. There was no way in hell that Dean would ever think _even for a moment_ that Cas was out of his league. Pessimistic thoughts flooded Cas’s brain as he stared at the text message. It had to be a joke orchestrated by Gabriel or something—a hoax. It couldn’t be real. Cas was pale. He had bags under his eyes. His lips were too thin, his hair too wild. He was too skinny, his ribs showing whenever he raised his arms. He was boring, bland, forgettable. Dean was none of those things. Dean was everything that Cas wasn’t.

           

**Cas: youre joking**

            Dean’s reply was almost instant.

 

**Dean: y do u say that**

            Cas leaned against one of the bookshelves and sighed, struggling with his reply. He didn’t want to dump all of his low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy on a guy he hadn’t even known for twenty-four hours. His thumbs made something up anyway.

 

**Cas: idk i just find it hard to believe that youd think that about me cuz i thought that about you**

            This time, Dean didn’t reply right away. Cas let out a weak sigh. _I blew it. I chased him off. Damn it._ He put his phone back in his pocket and began to browse half-heartedly through the fiction. His eyes scanned over the book titles, seeing but not reading. After almost five minutes, his phone went off. Cas jumped and scrambled to whip out his phone, nearly dropping it in the process.

 

**Dean: where r u now**

            He felt himself smile as he answered.

 

**Cas: the bookstore**

 

            Dean’s next text made him chuckle.

 

**Dean: this town has a bookstore?**

           

**Cas: as a matter of fact it does. Its on main street**

**Dean: how long u gonna be there**

            Cas was grinning like an idiot as he typed out his response

 

**Cas: as long as u want me to be**

 

            Before pressing send, however, he decided that text was a perhaps a little _too_ forward. He deleted it and typed something tamer.

 

**Cas: for a little while y?**

**Dean: i might come find this bookstore**

Cas’s heart leapt at the thought of seeing Dean in a setting other than the diner—something that wasn’t professional. He felt giddy.

 

**Cas: ill be in the back**

 

____________________

 

            It took Dean exactly seven minutes to get to the bookstore and make his way back to the fiction section. Cas was reading the back of a romance novel when Dean got there. He jumped when he looked up and happened to see the green-eyed god standing there. “Jesus,” he breathed, heart hammering in his chest. “You scared me.”

            “Sorry,” Dean apologized albeit grinning like Cheshire cat. “Didn’t mean to. You were so involved in that book.”

            Cas shrugged and put it back on the shelf. “I was just looking at it,” he stated.

            Dean looked around at the various books, his lips puckering slightly in appraisal. “So you like to read, then?”

            He nodded. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorite things to do,” he admitted. “It’s better than TV, although I have learned to read and watch TV at the same time thanks to my brother, Gabriel. He almost always has the TV on when he’s home so I heard it in the background constantly.”

            Dean looked impressed. “You must be pretty smart, then?”

            Cas blushed a little and picked up another book. “Eh, I mean… I guess. I went to college.”

            “Whoa, a college boy,” Dean teased. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna be like my know-it-all little brother.”

            He smiled. Dean’s voice was so… _warm_. It was happy and upbeat—unlike his own which was deep and husky. “Well, I have a degree in psychology and I’m working at a dive diner with my brother who’s a failed comedian so… I don’t think I’m in any position to be a know-it-all,” he answered, only half-joking.

            Dean smiled wryly. “Sam never actually finished college. He was going to Stanford to be a lawyer, but then our father passed away. He came home for the funeral and hasn’t left since. He dropped out—let a full ride slip through his fingers. I still kinda hate him for that,” Dean admitted softly. “He had a chance to get out—to have a better life than our father did… than I do. But he didn’t. Now he works at the shop with me and our uncle, Bobby. He keeps the books and runs the front desk.”

            Cas shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe Sam decided being a lawyer wasn’t for him—maybe he realized family was more important? It’s one of the reasons Gabriel and I stick together.”

            “Maybe,” Dean murmured softly.

            “Do you read?” Cas asked, changing the subject. He looked at Dean, to see the man’s face visibly relax a little. Then Cas realized how ridiculous that question sounded. “I mean… of course you… read… but like… do you… like it? Or have a favorite book? Or…?”

            Dean chuckled. “You’re a nerd, you know that?” he said, smiling widely. There was a gleam of affection in his eyes, but all Cas could feel was the knot in his stomach.

_Of course you fucked it up. You always fuck things up, Castiel._

            “Yeah,” he sighed, putting the book back on the shelf.

            Dean must have seen his sudden change in mood. The next thing Cas knew, the green-eyed god’s hand was on his shoulder. Dean was touching him—actually touching him on his own accord. “But you’re also so nerdy that it’s really adorable.”

            Heat flooded Cas’s cheeks then. _What?_ This had to be a joke. _No way. This can’t be real. Stuff like this just doesn’t happen._ “I… uh…” He couldn’t think of anything to say. How did one respond to such a brazen compliment, especially when the attraction was _more_ than mutual? “Favorite book?”

            Cas didn’t miss the way the blond god’s brow furrowed a little. An emotion flashed in his eyes that Cas couldn’t quite place—it almost looked like disappointment… or perhaps uncertainty? Dean’s tongue darted out and wet his lips as he thought. “I don’t know, I haven’t read a lot of books,” he admitted. He scratched the back of his neck with one hand guiltily as he thought. “I… I like supernatural books—like ones that have monsters in them. I remembered when I was a junior, they made us read _Dracula_. That one was pretty good—creepy, good, old-fashioned vampires. I’ve read a few Stephen King books too, believe it or not. As long as there’s blood in it, I’m satisfied.”

            As Dean spoke, Cas soaked it all in. He hung onto every word, determined to learn all he could about Dean. _So, he likes horror novels, eh?_

            “What’s your favorite book, Cas?” The question took him by surprise—for some reason, he hadn’t expected it to be turned around on him. Immediately, Cas felt his cheeks grow hot. His favorite book was very clear in his mind, but it was not something men typically enjoyed. He avoided Dean’s gaze as he debated whether or not to tell Dean the truth. “Cas?” The god sounded kind of concerned. “You look like I just asked you to tell me your darkest fantasy.

            Cas went even redder at that. _Oh, if only you knew…_ “Well… it’s not… It’s not something that guys usually like,” he warned him in advance.

            Dean shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me—I probably haven’t read it anyway. What is it?”

            He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the laughter and the sneers of “ _gay_ ” he usually received. “ _Wuthering Heights._ ”

            When Dean didn’t laugh or make any comment, he warily opened his eyes. The blond god seemed deep in thought as he considered Cas’s answer. “ _Wuthering Heights…_ ” he repeated. “I’ve heard that name before. I think I might’ve read that in school… or… was _supposed_ to read it—I wasn’t exactly a model student.”

            “It’s a love story,” the raven-haired man explained. “You… probably wouldn’t like it.”

            Cas was surprised when Dean arched an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”

            The smaller man blushed then. “You just… You seem like you wouldn’t be into… chick flicks let alone a novel that is almost entirely a story about unrequited love… Although, there _is_ a ghost in it.”

            Dean smirked in response to Cas’s explanation. “Just between us, I happen to love chick flicks.” Cas’s mouth fell open slightly—it was another unexpected reaction. This Dean was just full of surprises and kept throwing poor Cas for a loop. _I just can’t figure this guy out… He’s… nothing like I expected but… I love it even more because of it._ “What’s the book about? I’m sure if you like it, I probably will too.”

            For a moment, Cas couldn’t speak. He was torn between being completely overjoyed and being wary. _How is this guy even alive? He’s… he’s perfect. Everything I’ve ever wanted… But… Why would someone like him ever be interested in someone like me?_ “It’s about…” Cas has to pause and clear his throat. “Well… It tells the story of two generations, really. There is this one gypsy boy with black hair that got adopted by this family called the Earnshaws. And he falls in love with their daughter, Catherine who’s the most beautiful thing that he’s ever seen, and she’s the only one who’s… kind to him. But when they grow up, Catherine decides to marry someone else—someone who is more handsome and wealthier than the gypsy boy, Heathcliff. But… Catherine still loves Heathcliff… The rest of the book is Heathcliff getting revenge on all the people who wronged him, and those who took his Catherine away from him… I’m really bad at explaining things—it’s much better than it probably sounded based off that summary.”

            Dean listened to Cas just as avidly as the latter did to him. He smiled when the raven-haired man had finished speaking. “Well, since you love it so much, I’ll have to read it,” he remarked before looking along the bookshelves. “Do you know what section it would be in?”

            “Um,” Cas opened his mouth to say more, but snapped it closed.

            The god didn’t miss it though, and turned to face him. “What?” His voice didn’t sound the least bit aggravated like Cas had expected. His eyebrows were raised and his lips were slightly puckered in appraisal.

            “Well… I don’t want you to waste your money on a book you might not even like… You can… You can borrow mine… If you want, of course,” Cas offered shyly. He studied his beat up black shoes to distract him from the fact that Dean was watching him closely. It was a poor distraction. When Cas finally got the nerve, he locked eyes with Dean again. The god was smiling at Cas as though the latter was some kind of adorable kitten that had just done something cute.

            “If you’re sure, Cas,” he replied.

            Cas wanted to smile, but a part of him felt almost sick to his stomach. _I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe this is happening._ He was almost so scared that he was going to mess things up that he felt physically sick. “Yeah… I’ll just have to go back to my apartment and pick it up and give it to you. Will you be at the diner tomorrow? For breakfast? I’ll be working… I can bring it then.”

            Dean smiled and nodded. “Hell yeah, I will. I wouldn’t give up a day of seeing you.”

            The smaller man flushed for what seemed like the millionth time. “Alright… I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

            “You bet, Cas.”

            Cas walked as Dean gave him a small smile. It looked as though the god wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Before Cas could ask what Dean wanted, the god had turned away and was heading for the door. Watching him go, Cas felt his chest tighten. _I hate to see him go, but I love watching him walk away…_ _Fuck me, he has his hooks in me and he doesn’t even know it_.

            He took a few moments to catch his breath when Dean was gone. Shaking his head, Cas headed back to his apartment; he had a book to find.


	4. The Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, still wanted to let you know that this story has been going really well. I know I said Dean and Cas are gonna kinda take it slow - and there still are, despite the events of this chapter. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you'll understand what I mean
> 
> Again, thank you all for the support. It really means a lot and keeps me writing! :D
> 
> P. S. I hope you like what I did with Chuck's writing career. ;D

            The next day, Cas got to the diner bright and early, the book in tow. His copy of _Wuthering Heights_ was old—the same one he had in high school. It was well-preserved, but also very clearly used often. The pages were not exactly crisp and new anymore, and the paperback cover had more than a few folds and tears in it. Along the margins of the text, Cas had scribbled little notes for class in faded, blue ink. There were a few spots where Cas had written in other notes and comments during other reads—these were usually in black or pencil. One thing was for certain, Dean was going to have quite the experience reading this book, and he’d probably learn a little more about Cas along the way.

            Morning came and went, and there was no sign of Dean. A wide range of emotions passed through Cas during that time. Fear—maybe something had happened to him? Self-loathing—he was stupid to think someone as handsome as Dean could be interested in him. Hope—maybe Dean just woke up late and didn’t have time to get breakfast? Despair—Dean probably forgot about him anyway.

            When the breakfast rush ended, Cas had some down time. Hannah was working again, and she volunteered to wipe down the tables and put out silverware. So, Cas leaned against the counter and paged through _Wuthering Heights_. He skimmed most of it, but stopped to read his favorite parts. Whenever he got to the parts of Heathcliff and Catherine, he imagined himself as the dark-haired gypsy boy, and Dean as the fair Catherine. “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same,” Cas murmured the quote to himself. Of course, that would never be him and Dean. They were too different. _You’re a foolish man, Castiel—to think that Dean could ever be with you._

            “Are you reading that blasted book again for the millionth time?”

            Cas turned to see Chuck Shurley poking his head through the window to the kitchens. “You know, you’ve read that book so many times, and said so many of its lines out loud, I’d be _surprised_ if I didn’t know the whole thing by heart at this point.”

            The younger man blushed. He tucked the book away behind the cash register. “I was actually going to give it to someone today,” he confessed.

            “Oh, that blond guy Gabe keeps telling me about?”

            Cas spluttered. “Wh—What?”

            A smile crept onto Chuck’s face as he observed the waiter’s clear discomfort. “Yeah, he told me everything.”

            His throat went dry. “Everything?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

            Chuck nodded his head slowly. “ _Everything._ ”

            Cas put his head in his hands.

            “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it,” the chef soothed. “I’ve had a few awkward… situations like that. Did I ever tell you about the time I wrote those books? _Supernatural_ , that’s what they were called. I had this one fan named Becky—she was so beautiful, but she hardly noticed me. Then, one day, _boom_. All of a sudden, she realized I’d been there right in front of her face… Of course, that didn’t last long. She was… well… Have you ever read _Misery_ by Stephen King?”

            The waiter gave a nod, peeking up from his hands.

            “Well… Becky was like that psychotic ‘number one fan’ and tried to make me rewrite the last few books so everyone would live. I don’t _let_ people live—that’s not my style, you know?” Chuck continued to prattle on about Becky and his books. Cas only half-listened. He had read a few of Chuck’s later books—he remembered a man in the novel, a hunter, named Jensen. He kind of looked like Dean. And then there was the angel—Misha—that followed him around and the two ended up falling in love. It wasn’t some grand, romantic epic like _Wuthering Heights_. It was more of a soft, subtle love that they had. Each relied on the other and was always there. That’s what Cas wanted. _Maybe… maybe I could have that with Dean…?_

            “Have you ever thought about writing yourself, Cas?”

            The question was unexpected and took Cas a minute to think of a proper answer.

            “Uh, no… not… not particularly, why?”

            Chuck shrugged, leaning against the window. His elbows were propped up and one of his hands was stroking his thick, russet beard. “I think you’d be good at it—with how much you read,” the chef mused. “Maybe you should give it a try.”

            This idea stewed inside Cas for the rest of the day. The lunch rush arrived, and still no Dean. By then, Cas had lost all hope. He grew mopey, and not even Gabriel could rouse him from his new, angst-ridden state. Evening finally came and Cas grew hopeful once more. People filed in and out through the usual dinner time-frame. No Dean. Cas was inconsolable then. The entire staff knew—Anna, Gabriel, Chuck, and even the brusque Zachariah—and were concerned about Cas’s mood. He didn’t speak to anyone, just leaned against the counter and paged through his beat-up novel. Then, at about nine o’clock, the door to the diner opened. Cas didn’t even bother looking up—by that time, he’d lost all hope. Instead, he read through one of his favorite parts: “ _I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!_ ”

            “You look very engrossed, I almost hate to disturb you,” remarked a familiar voice.

            In one motion, Cas’s head snapped up and he rose to his full height. In the process, his face became dangerously close to Dean Winchester’s. Their lips were only an inch and a half apart, and Cas was acutely aware of that. Dean seemed just as stunned by Cas’s movement, but he didn’t abruptly pull away either.

            “I was just… paging through,” Cas murmured, looking down at the novel. Breaking eye contact was like a relief, but also unleashed a whole new level of longing—he wanted to look at those stunning green eyes again and get lost in them. He forced himself to look up to Dean. The god was smirking a little, dimples forming on his cheeks. Those eyes of his were burning brighter than the sun itself.

            “When do you get off work?”

            The question seemed to take both men by surprise, for Dean’s eyes widened slightly. “Did I just ask you that?” There was a moment of silence, and Dean’s brow furrowed and his eyes darted downward. They seemed to rest on Cas’s lips before focusing on the book. “I did just ask you that…” he mumbled. “Um… is that the book?”

            Cas glanced at the clock that hung on the wall opposite the counter. “Forty-five minutes,” he said breathlessly, answering Dean’s first question.

            Dean looked surprised that Cas answered, but there was also a distinct look of pleasure on his face. “Well… do you… wanna go grab a drink with me?”

            “Uh…” Cas didn’t drink. Alcohol just wasn’t his thing—he’d tried it a few times with Gabriel but it just never set well with him. He avoided the entire genre of beverage typically… but if it meant spending time with Dean… “Sure.”

           

____________________

 

            The bar was crowded and full of people, and it was definitely not Cas’s usual scene. He was wearing his typical outfit—black pants and a white, button-up shirt. The first few buttons were undone and the sleeves were rolled up. Before he left for the bar with Dean, he’d gone to the restroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. All he saw was pale skin and bloodshot eyes. He had run his hands under the faucet and tried to spike his hair, but only made it look wilder.

            Dean chose a table instead of sitting at the bar, which Cas was grateful for. The two sat down and Dean called over a waitress. She had jean shorts on—shorts that were entirely too short for Cas’s comfort—and a tank top that dipped just a bit too low. “What can I get you gentlemen?”

            Cas watched as Dean gave her a flirtatious smile. “I’ll have whiskey, Cas what do you want?”

            “Uh…” he faltered. What was he supposed to say? He knew nothing about alcohol. _Shit… I don’t want Dean to think I’m stupid._ “Same as him.”

            The waitress nodded and sauntered away, her behind swaying generously. Cas didn’t miss the way Dean stared at her ass. “I didn’t take you for a whiskey man,” he commented once the waitress was out of sight.”

            Cas panicked a little. “Oh… well… I don’t usually drink it, but I figured tonight—why not? I might as well… celebrate.”

            Dean chuckled a little. “What are we celebrating?”

            _You_.

            “My boss, Chuck, he… uh… sorta convinced me to write a book,” Cas picked the lie off the top of his head. He internally winced—he hated how good he was getting at lying.

            Dean’s eyes lit up. “Really?” He sounded impressed. “What about?”

            Cas struggled to come up with a quick idea. “I don’t know. I… I like romance but, I don’t really have an idea planned out. And then I was thinking… maybe… horror.” The more he thought, Cas recalled an idea he had a long time ago. He’d pitched it to Gabriel once, but his older brother wasn’t interested in anything literary. “There’s this one idea I had a while ago… but I don’t know if it’d be good enough for a novel.”

            “What was your idea?” Dean gently pressed. The waitress returned with their shots, which helped Cas relax.

            “Well,” he said, clearing his throat. “I was thinking about maybe a horror story about… well… corn. Like, you know how when you drive out to the country and there’s just corn _everywhere_. There are houses that are surrounded by corn on all four sides. And I was thinking that maybe the plowing would… disturb something beneath the ground which would… like… I don’t know, maybe like an Indian burial ground? And then it would like put a curse on the houses that lived there and bring inanimate objects to life?”

            Dean listened curiously throughout Cas’s explanation. When he was done, Dean looked rather impressed. “You know, that sounds like something I’d actually read—but I _will_ read this… what’s it called again?”

            “ _Wuthering Heights_ ,” Cas reminded with a faint smile.

            “Oh, yeah.”

            Dean picked up his shot of whiskey and downed it with one swift motion. The reserved pleasure Cas had received from Dean’s praise about his idea was replaced by anxiety as he stared down at his shot glass. His eyes narrowed at the copper liquid as he tried to mentally talk himself up to it. _It’s just… a drink, Cas. Come on, you can do it. Don’t be a coward. Don’t let Dean down._

            “You know,” Dean’s voice interrupted Cas’s thoughts. “It’s not going to do anything interesting no matter how hard you stare at it.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Dean.” He picked up the shot glass. _No going back now._ He brought it to his lips and tipped his head back. The taste almost made him choke. _Good Lord is that bitter._ The longer the whiskey sat his mouth it began to burn the insides of his cheeks and his tongue. Cas took a massive gulp, forcing it down. Along the way, it singed his throat. His stomach shuddered when the whiskey reached it—it felt like it had shriveled up with disgust from the mere thought of digesting the alcohol. He slammed the shot glass onto the table, his entire body shuddering. “Ugh…” he groaned.

            Dean was chuckling beside him. “I take it you haven’t had much whiskey, if any at all,” he mused.

            The raven-haired man glanced up at Dean, his shoulders heaving a little. “Is it… that obvious?” he breathed.

            This made Dean laugh a little louder. “Just a bit, Cas,” he said through his chuckles. He waved the waitress over while Cas still tried to recover from the ordeal he’d just experienced. “I’ll have another shot,” he told the waitress after she’d pranced over. “As for my friend… something a little weaker. Maybe a cocktail? Surprise us.” He gave her a dashing smile worthy of a knight in shining armor before she left them. Cas wasn’t able to quell the feeling of jealousy that rose within him.

            “You like her?” he blurted out, instantly regretting it.

            Dean looked over at him, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What?”

            “The waitress,” Cas elaborated. He couldn’t exactly tell Dean to forget it now.

            He turned and looked toward the bar where the waitress was mixing a drink. “Her?” he asked before looking back at Cas. “Not really, why?”

            Cas spluttered. “You just… You seemed to be smiling at her a lot that’s all… whenever she’d come over,” he explained.

            A smile spread across Dean’s face. “Are you jealous, Castiel?”

            That was the first time Dean had called Cas by his full name. It sent new, electric feelings shooting through Cas’s body. He didn’t know how to respond to that. How could he? If he confirmed, he’d look foolish. If he didn’t, he’d look even worse.

            Dean smirked. “You know, you made me jealous too,” he informed in a low voice.

            Cas’s eyes widened first, then narrowed. “When did that happen?” he queried. His eyes were focused intently on Dean, waiting for his response. Before Dean could answer, the waitress returned and gave Dean his second shot.

            “And a rum and coke for the lightweight,” she said, giving Cas his drink. He looked up at her with piercing eyes, but she’d already turned her back on the table.

            He was about to mutter a curse but restrained himself—Dean was there. And Dean was now running his finger around the lip of his shot glass. Cas watched Dean’s long fingers almost tease the shot glass before he picked it up. Dean threw his head back as he swallowed the whiskey down, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Cas also didn’t miss the way his tongue slightly protruded from his mouth and into the glass as he swallowed. Dean let out a rough sigh as he put the shot glass down. His eyes returned to Cas and he smirked. “What were we talking about?”

            Cas was fidgety. “You were talking about how I made you jealous.”

            “Oh, right… That second day when I came into the diner, that girl—the small one with the dark hair—practically had you pinned behind the bar. She was standing so close to you, I thought she was going to make out with you or something. When Sammy and I walked in… I don’t know, I just… I felt almost possessive…” Dean trailed off, his eyes dropping to the table. “Fuck, I barely even know you.” His jaw muscles flexed as he shook his head.

            “It’s okay,” Cas assured him quickly. This made Dean meet his eyes again—two glimmering emeralds watching him. He wet his lips. “I feel it too… I felt that way when Anna was watching you the first night you came in.”

            “Anna?”

            “The redhead.”

            Dean looked almost thoughtful then. “I guess… I guess then we’re… kind of dating, then? I mean… I like you. You like me. It just seems like… the logical thing to do, but if you don’t want to, I get it. I was just… suggesting…”

            Cas found himself grinning from ear-to-ear. The smooth Dean Winchester who made women swoon was stuttering and tripping over his own words before him. _Maybe… Maybe this isn’t a joke… That, or Dean is one hell of an actor._ “Sure, Dean,” he said softly. “I guess… we’re dating now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think of Jensen and Jared the hunters and Misha the angel? xD
> 
> I figured it would be a nice little treat, so there it is.
> 
> Like I said, Dean and Cas are "dating" now, but they're still taking things slow. They both are clearly attracted to each other, but remember they haven't even kissed yet. :)


	5. Boyfriends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've been working on several independent works that are not fanfiction (WHAT?! I KNOW!!). Thank you for your patience.
> 
> I also apologize for how this chapter is kind of short. 
> 
> This fanfic will also, if I can predict this correctly, will be around 15 chapters. That is kind of short for me (I mean, my other fic, Supernatural High, is going to be around 80 so that just gives you an idea of what my usual books are like lol). But I feel like that is a good length for this. It's supposed to be a short, sweet little story with a happy ending, and hopefully that's what you'll get. :)
> 
> Also, I hope you enjoy the brotherly interaction in this chapter. It was really fun to write.

            Cas went home that night with butterflies in his stomach—butterflies or anxiety, he couldn’t quite determine which. Either way, he was a ball of several mixed emotions. There was a sense of excitement, euphoria, desire, giddiness, anxiety, dread, fear, and the old desire to go running for the hills. All of these he felt at once, battling within his body for dominance, all equally powerful and all seemingly well-founded. Dean Winchester was his boyfriend.

            _Boyfriend_.

            He had a boyfriend.

            Relationships were something alien to Cas. There were a few rare moments in his life when he’d experienced… encounters. They were usually kisses in dark corners during parties in high school and college—with boys and girls. Or they were quick coffee dates that usually ended awkwardly and with him given fake phone numbers. A solid relationship was something that Cas had never experienced. At least, until now. With Dean fucking Winchester.

            Cas returned home to a darkened apartment, although he could hear the sounds of the TV drifting in from the small den they had. He put his keys and wallet on the table and slipped off his trench coat. His shoes followed, which he left at the door, and then his belt, which he tossed in his bedroom. Cas went over to the couch and flopped down beside his brother. The floor around the couch and the coffee table were littered with candy wrappers, and Cas swore he saw chocolate smeared across his brother’s face. Gabriel looked at Cas when he sat down and swallowed the last bit of candy he had. “So how was your date?”

            “Actually… really amazing,” Cas confessed. He smiled softly to himself, only half watching the game show that was on the TV. “I’m his boyfriend now.”

            Gabriel sat up a little more. His eyes were slightly narrowed, but he also wore an almost proud smirk. “Damn, Cassie you must got game. That or you must be really good at giving blowjobs or something.”

            Rolling his eyes, Cas shoved his brother back down onto the couch. “Shut _up_ , Gabriel. It wasn’t like that. We went to a bar and we just really hit it off. By the way, how’re things with the other one?”

            “Oh, Sam?” Cas didn’t miss the way Gabriel’s voice seemed to get a little higher pitched. He almost sounded happy that they were talking about the giant human. “We’ve been texting a little, but that’s it.”

            Cas nodded, propping his feet up on the coffee table and kicking some of the candy wrappers out of the way. Gabriel’s phone on the coffee table lit up and vibrated. Both Novaks looked at it and saw that the screen read: NEW TEXT MESSAGE FROM SAMSQUATCH.

            Both brothers lunged for the phone. Cas reached it first since he was sitting up. I knew Gabriel’s passcode—just four 1s in a row. Before Cas could read the message, he was tackled off the couch by his smaller brother. They both hit the floor with a thud, wrestling over who would get to read the message first. Cas held the phone just out of reach of his brother, fighting him off with the other hand. He laughed while Gabriel cursed him and angrily tried to reach his phone.

            “DAMMIT CAS, GIVE ME MY PHONE!”      

            Cas continued to laugh and play keep-away with his brother’s phone. After a minute, Gabriel gave up and went into the kitchen. He returned with Cas’s phone, which he had left on the bar. “Fine,” he said, opening up the phone. “I guess I’ll just have to call Dean and tell him that you were masturbating to him in the shower.”

            That made Cas grow very serious. “Don’t you dare, Gabriel!”

            “Give me my phone and I won’t.”

            The Novak brothers stared each other down with cold eyes. Each were trying to size the other up, trying to tell if they were bluffing. Cas was the one who finally gave in, tossing Gabriel’s phone on the couch. With the gesture, Gabriel returned Cas’s phone and the brothers sat back on the couch. For the next few hours, Cas flipped through the TV stations, looking for something interesting to watch. Gabriel texted someone, presumably Sam until Cas decided it was time for bed. “I’m gonna turn in,” he told him. He stood up from the couch, stretching. “Night, Gabe.”

            Gabriel nodded absentmindedly, rigorously typing on a message. “Night,” he mumbled just as Cas was leaving the room.

            Cas went to bed after that. His dreams were happy; he was with Dean and they were traveling together through space. The dream was simple enough, but pleasant, at least for as long as it lasted. Just as he and Dean were about to discover a new planet in his dream, he felt someone shaking him awake. Cas’s eyes slowly opened and his body screamed in protest at the sudden disturbance. He pushed himself up to see Gabriel sitting on the side of his bed looking anxious.

            Rubbing his eyes, Cas let out a small sigh. “Gabe? What… what’s goin’ on?”

            Gabriel ran a hand through his hair and handed Cas his phone. “I need you to send this for me.”

            Cas stared at his brother with utter confusion. “What?” he asked, exhaustedly. He handed the phone back to his brother. “Why? Send it yourself.”

            “No, Cas, you don’t understand,” Gabriel insisted, shoving the phone back into Cas’s hands. “Please… I can’t bring myself to do it… but I need to send it.”

            With a sigh, Cas looked down at Gabriel’s phone and read through the recent messages.

 

 **Gabriel:** **so i heard our brothers are dating now**

**Sam: lol so I’ve heard**

**Gabriel: so why did you want cas to give me your number?**

**Sam: well cas told me you liked me and you aren’t bad looking**

**Gabriel: [DRAFT] well cas wasn’t lying i do like you**

            Gabriel had his head in his hands. “Press the send button, Cas.”

            Cas looked at Gabe, then back at the phone. With a sigh, he pressed the send button and handed the phone back. “There, it’s done.”

            His brother peeked out from behind his hands and then sighed. “Well… I can never look at my phone ever again. Just… hang on to it. I’m too scared to look. I don’t… I can’t ever open my phone again. Shit, he knows my full name. Goodbye social media accounts. Goodbye job. I need to leave this city. Oh God.”

            “Gabriel,” Cas yawned, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Calm yourself.”

            Moments later, the phone buzzed and lit up. Cas glanced down; it was a message from Sam. “Your bae replied.”

            Gabriel peeked out from behind his hands, but still made no move for the phone. “What did he say?”

            Cas let out another sigh and opened his brother’s phone. “He says, and I quote, ‘well that’s good because I like you too.’”

            The older Novak looked up. His whiskey-colored eyes were bright with a type of euphoria that Cas had never seen before. He grabbed the phone from Cas’s hands and stared at the message in disbelief. Cas couldn’t help but smile, even in his tired and cranky state, at his brother’s delight. Gabriel cradled the phone like it was a small, helpless bird. With a child-worthy giggle, Gabriel flopped back on Cas’s bed, smiling like an idiot.

            Cas rolled his eyes at his brother, even though he was happy for him. Gabriel deserved a little happiness in life. “Gabe, I’m so glad that you’re happy and having a total moment, but can you do it in your room? I work morning shift and I need to get some sleep or else I’ll be cranky tomorrow. And you know I’m a real dick when I’m cranky.”

            Gabriel nodded absently, getting off the bed. He walked to the door like he was in a dream-like stage, still staring at the message on his phone. He didn’t even bid his younger brother goodnight, just waved at him as he left. Cas chuckled as he laid back down. His hand slid under his pillow where he kept his phone at night and pulled it out. He opened it and texted Dean.

 

 **Cas:** **gabe made his move on sam and sam reciprocated**

            Dean did not answer that night and Cas went to sleep with no further disturbance. Morning came and Cas got up for work as usual. As he pulled on his trench coat and opened the door of his apartment he was met with a very tall moose-like man. Sam, Dean’s younger brother, stood in the doorway, his hand raised to knock. Both men jumped before meeting each other’s eyes. “Um… hi, I’m Sam,” the moose-man offered in explanation. “Is Gabriel here?”

            Cas found himself smirking. “Yeah, he’s in his room. He has the day off. If you want, I can go wake his ass up.”

            “Oh, no you don’t have to do that,” the moose man said quickly, shaking his head. He wet his lips, peering into the apartment kind of ruefully. “Can you tell him that I stopped by?”

            “Well, I’m on my way to work… and I doubt that Gabe would mind if I woke him up to see you.”

            Sam shuffled his feet, almost nervously. “Well…” Cas didn’t give him time to answer before turning his head back toward the apartment.

            “GABRIEL!” he shouted, loud enough for his brother to hear, and that was saying something since the older Novak could probably sleep through a war. Cas looked back at Sam, feeling kind of awkward as the moose-man continued to stand in the doorway. “Give him a minute, he’ll be up.” ‘

            Just as Cas predicted, Gabriel staggered through his bedroom doorway. He was shirtless and wore a pair of baggy boxers. “Cas, what the hell do you—” he cut off as his amber eyes fixated on Sam. “Sam? What are you doing here?” His mouth hung open slightly as he stared at his admirer.

            Cas rolled his eyes at his brother before sliding past Sam. “I’ll leave you too alone.” _Maybe Dean will come see me for breakfast… I wouldn’t mind having a taste of him,_ Cas thought to himself. He chuckled as he walked down the stairs of his apartment building. Dean seemed to bring out the best kind of worst in him.


	6. The Wrong Answer

            Later that week, Dean invited Cas out on a date. The raven-haired man waited the rest of the week anxiously. He was eager to go on one of his first real date with Dean. Work drug by during the day, even though various visits from Dean kept him entertained. Friday could not come soon enough.

            When it finally did arrive, Cas was only slightly frantic. He changed his outfit probably four times, if not more. Gabriel sat on the couch, only half interested in the game show that was playing on the TV. Whenever Cas would emerge with his new outfit, Gabe would give him a thumbs up or down depending on what he thought. At first, it was funny to see his little brother scramble, but after a while, it got old. One of the last times Cas came out into the living room, Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Cassie, Dean likes you. I doubt he’ll care what you’re wearing. He’s taking you out for you, not for your clothes. Wear your trench coat. It’ll be fine.”

            Gabriel did not expect his younger brother to heed his advice. Needless to say, he was kind of stunned when Cas finally emerged from his room wearing his usual white button-up and black pants. This time, a dark blue tie and his tan trench coat accompanied the outfit. “I hope Dean likes my trench coat,” Cas said offhandedly. “He’s never seen it before.”

            Cas did his best to calm down and try to be confident. _It’s just Dean,_ he tried to tell himself, hoping it would soothe his nerves. That fact only made it worse. He was nervous to begin with because it _was_ Dean—perfect, handsome, sexy, amazing, charming, freckled, green-eyed, blond-haired, god-like Dean. Cas still could not get over the fact that Dean had thought that _Cas_ was out of _his_ league. There was no way. Dean was a perfect ten, and Cas—well, Cas considered himself to be a four at best.

            He retreated back into his bedroom and took another look in the mirror. He had tried to tame his wild hair, but the black locks had a mind of their own. Letting on an exhausted sigh, he did his best to pat down what Gabriel always referred to as “the sex hair.” Nothing he tried could seem to get it to lie flat, or _flatter_ than it was. A knock at the door ended his attempts. Cas all but sprinted from his room to reach the door.

            “Walk, Cassie. He’ll hear you!” Gabriel called from his place on the couch.

            Cas groaned quietly. _Yeah, and Dean probably just heard you… assbutt._ He opened the door of the apartment and, sure enough, there stood Dean in all his beauty. The blond god wore a faded leather jacket, a black shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans. While Cas studied Dean, admiring the way the leather jacket fit his broad shoulders, he noticed Dean was looking him up and down as well.

            “I didn’t know you had a trench coat,” he commented, smirking.

            He shrugged. “I like it… It’s comfortable.” Cas looked down, heat rising to his cheeks. _Ugh, I should have known he’d laugh at me for the coat._

            “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Dean quickly said, noticing Cas’s blush. “I actually… ha, well… I like it.”

            Cas looked up then, meeting Dean’s emerald gaze. “Really?”

            Dean nodded, almost sheepishly. He glanced down at his boots, shaking his head. “It’s kinda…” he paused, looking Cas directly in the eye. “Sexy… on you.”

            That _really_ made Cas blush. He knew his face was redder than a tomato. He didn’t know what to do or how to react. All he could do was stare at Dean, his mouth slightly open.

            After several seconds, Gabriel broke the awkward silence that had descended upon them. He had gotten up from his seat on the couch and was now leaning on the wall in the kitchen, watching this whole scene play out. His younger brother and his boyfriend had been too absorbed in each other to even notice he’d approached. “God, the sexual tension is so thick I can almost feel it in the air. Get goin’ you too. You aren’t making out in my kitchen. Get!”

            That snapped Cas out of his daze and he slid past Dean out the door. “Uh, Gabe’s probably right. We… We don’t wanna miss the movie.”

 

____________________

 

            Cas found yet another thing to love about Dean Winchester, as if everything else wasn’t enough: the Impala. When he walked out of his apartment building, he expected to see a pickup truck, or maybe an old clunker—something rugged like he figured Dean would drive. Instead, he was greeted with a jet-black ’67 Chevrolet Impala. The spacious front seats and the even larger back sent a lot of naughty ideas pulsing through Cas’s brain… as well as other areas of his body. Dean got in the driver’s side. Moments later, the engine roared to life and they were off.

            “Where are we going, anyway?” Cas asked once they were on their way. “You never did tell me.”

            “I told you it was a surprise,” Dean corrected. “And that still stands.” Cas frowned at him, which earned a chuckle from the Winchester. “Aw, Cas. Don’t pout.”

            Cas rolled his eyes and let out a sharp snort. “I am not pouting.”

            That made Dean laugh out loud. “Okay, yeah. Sure…” He shook his head, still chuckling. “Dork.”

            “You’re… a dork… Assbutt.”

            Dean shot him a glance out of the corner of his eye. “Assbutt?”

            “Shut up.”

            “Where’d you get that insult?”

            “My older brother,” Cas grumbled. “Not Gabriel.”

            Dean arched an eyebrow. “You have more brothers?”

            Cas snorted. “I have more brothers than I know about. My dad… Well… he got around, let’s just say that. I have three brothers that are older than Gabriel: Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael. Then there’s Gabriel, then there are a few between Gabriel and I—Balthazar, Gadreel, Naomi, Hannah, then me. I’m the youngest.”

            This made Dean quiet. He thought about this for a second. “That’s a child for like… every year almost.”

            “Yeah, that’s about it,” Cas answered, nodding. “Michael is the oldest—he’s thirty now, if you can believe that. Lucifer is twenty-eight. Then it’s Raphael. He’s twenty-seven. Gabe is twenty-six now, I think. Balthazar and Naomi are twins. They’re twenty-five. Gadreel’s twenty-four. Hannah is a year older than me, which makes her twenty-three. Then there’s me. Oh and then there are three different mothers between the nine of us. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabe all share a mother—that was dad’s first wife. I never met her. She died after Gabriel was born. Then there was the second one who had Balthazar and Naomi. They never got married. They broke up when she was still pregnant. Dad ended up getting custody of the kids though. I never liked her very much. I think her name was Susan. Then there was my mom. They had Gadreel, Hannah, and I. Dad married her after Gadreel was born. They’re still married… At least, I think. I haven’t heard from either of them since college.”

            Dean shrugged. “Yeah, same with my dad. I never hear from him anymore. My mom died in a fire when I was four. I carried Sammy out of the house while my dad tried to pull my mom out of the flames. He couldn’t save her though.”

            Cas didn’t say anything for a while before mumbling a small, “I’m sorry.”

            “Hey, it’s not your fault, Cas. You weren’t just born when it happened, if that. I didn’t realize I was your brother’s age—the one I know,” he said. Dean’s brow was furrowed as he tried to think of the name.

            “Gabriel?”

            “Yeah, that one… Just so you know, Cas, I suck at names. So, sorry in advance if I don’t remember any of your family’s names.”

            Cas smiled a little. “It’s fine. There are a lot of us. I don’t expect you to remember everyone.”

            Dean looked over at him, wearing a smug grin. “As long as I remember you, right?”

            “You damn well better remember me, Dean Winchester.”

            He laughed. “Cas, I don’t think I could ever forget you.”

 

____________________

 

            The sun was just dipping below the horizon as the two arrived at their destination: a drive-in just outside of town. There were two large screens, one facing north, and the other facing south. Dean parked in the back row of the northern screen and began fiddling with the radio to find the proper channel. Cas was smiling, looking around at the massive screen before him and the little concession stand that sat nearby. “I haven’t been to a drive-in since I was four or five years old,” he told Dean, still grinning from ear-to-ear.

            Dean glanced over and smirked. “I’m glad you like it, Cas… Aha!” Dean exclaimed as he finally found the drive-in’s channel and managed to connect. “Well, there we go! Hey, want some popcorn or anything?”

            Cas nodded shyly, which made Dean smile even wider. “Come on, we’ll go to the concessions.” They both hopped out of the Impala and made their way over to the concession stand. Cas couldn’t help but notice how their shoulders brushed as they walked side-by-side.

            “So what movie are we gonna see?” Cas queried.

            “Well, it’s a double feature. There are two horror movies. One is about demonic possession, the other is about zombies, I think,” Dean explained. “I hope you don’t mind scary movies. If you get scared, you can always hold onto me.”

            Cas laughed a little and rolled his eyes. “You do know you’re as smooth as crunchy peanut butter, right?”

            Dean’s jaw dropped as he pretended to be offended. “I am too as smooth as… _smooth_ peanut butter.”

            That made Cas laugh. He tried to hold it in but ended up snorting instead. He leaned against Dean, his arm slipping around the taller man’s waist. “Dean,” he said, smiling.

            “What?” the blond god asked, his own arm looping around Cas’s shoulders.

            Cas leaned up and pecked a soft kiss to Dean’s jaw. “You’re cute.”

            He felt the rumble of Dean’s chest as the man laughed. “Maybe, but you’re definitely cuter.”

            They reached the concession stand, giggling like school girls. They untwined themselves before they went inside. When they emerged, Dean carried the largest bucket of popcorn they sold and Cas carried two equally giant sodas. The two men got back to the Impala and settled into the backseat. The front seat of the Impala did not have high backs, so they could both easily see the screen through the windshield. Cas picked at the popcorn while Dean sipped on his drink.

            It took another hour or so before the first movie played, the one that involved demonic possession. Dean and Cas passed the time by talking about trivial things, making fun of ads on the radio, and feeding each other popcorn—the latter usually by tossing the kernels into the other’s mouth, or at least trying to.

            When the movie started, Cas scooted a little closer to Dean. Not even ten minutes in and Dean had his arm around Cas. The smaller man was snuggling against Dean, his head in the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. Neither of them really paid attention to the plot, nor were they frightened by the lame jump-scares that accompanied the boring plot. Dean, who seemed to be some kind of expert on the supernatural, often pointed out mistakes or inaccuracies in the movie. “First of all, if they want to keep the demon away, they just need to use rock salt and holy water. And once someone gets possessed, you can trap the demon in a devil’s trap and then exorcise it. But movies never get that stuff right anyway.”

            Cas would look at him when he made such comments, confused but also getting the sense that he just shouldn’t ask _how_ Dean knew such things.

            By the time the climax of the first movie came, Dean and Cas were both thoroughly bored. They might have left if Dean hadn’t paid for the double-feature and didn’t feel like arguing with the people in the ticket booth about a refund. There were few cars that had even bothered showing up for the movie, which was just another indication of how bad it really was.

            However, it was not entirely a waste. Cas’s dirty mind quickly came up with a much better way to pass the time.

            Towards the end of the movie, Cas started to, as Gabriel would put it, _lay the moves_ on Dean. He reached up and began to play with Dean’s hair, occasionally _accidentally_ brushing a hand across the back of his neck or his face. This certainly got Dean’s attention, which was what Cas wanted. The two locked eyes, and a silent agreement passed between them. Both of them leaned forward slowly, painstakingly.

            Finally, their lips met. And it was awkward. Their noses bumped together, which required one of them to tilt their head to the side. They both tilted the same direction simultaneously, which resulted in another unplanned collision. This made them both giggle, which resulted in their teeth clanging together on accident. After several attempts, they, at last, seemed to get it right. Their lips slowly began to understand each other and work together. Dean’s arms moved and wrapped around Cas’s waist, pulling him even closer. Cas locked his arms around Dean’s neck as he kissed him, savoring the feeling of the blond god’s lips. He couldn’t remember how many times he imagined what it would be like to kiss Dean Winchester. Now, it was finally happening. And it was better than he could have ever imagined.

            Dean’s hands roamed along Cas’s back, eventually migrating up to his shoulders. The blond god tugged on Cas’s trench coat, trying to shove it off his shoulders. With great effort, Cas managed to pull himself away from Dean’s addictive kiss. He quickly shucked the trench coat, tossing it on the seat beside him. While he did that, Dean removed his leather jacket and placed it on top of Cas’s coat. Their lips met again, but with more confidence this time. Dean’s eager hands pulled Cas into his lap, which he happily went.

            There were screams of horror coming through the car radio as the movie came to a close, the demon finally being exorcised from the girl’s body. The two lovers were hardly paying any attention now. As badly as Cas wanted to tear Dean’s clothes off and take him right there in the back of the Impala, he stopped himself. This was their first date, after all. Kissing was fine, but all that other stuff could wait—it had to be special.

            Throughout the first half of the second movie, they continued their activities, keeping things slow for the most part. Their kisses became less awkward and less heated and more… lazy, almost. Eventually, Cas got off Dean’s lap and returned to his original position, snuggled into Dean’s side. Every now and then, he would lean up and kiss Dean’s neck, or Dean would peck his forehead. It was relaxed, comfortable, and one of the best nights Cas had ever had.

            “Cas,” Dean murmured, halfway through the second movie.

            “Hmm?” The raven-haired man was practically falling asleep, enjoying the smell of laundry detergent, old whiskey, and leather that was Dean Winchester’s natural perfume.

            Dean pressed a kiss to Cas’s forehead. “Why do you like me?”

            Cas thought a minute. “Well… You’re very charming—that’s why I liked you at first, well that and because you’re hot. You’re a good listener… and… you’re always so kind to me and everyone else around you.

            The blond god didn’t reply to that. Cas looked up to get a glimpse of his face to see a slight frown. He looked… almost disappointed in Cas’s answer. Neither of them said a word for the rest of the second movie.

            When Cas got back to the apartment last night, Dean gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him he had fun. However, Cas could tell that there was something off—there was a look in Dean’s eyes, as though he were just saying those words to be polite.

            Cas felt sick as he got out of the car and headed up to his apartment.

            _God… what did I do wrong?_


	7. Brotherly Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long and is shorter than the others. Honestly, I kinda liked the way this chapter turned out. Gabriel is one of my favorites in this story tbh.
> 
> But yeah, I am at the end of my second week of college life. And I am really excited. I love it so far, but please be patient with me as far as updating is concerned. I have a lot of homework typically. When I'm not doing homework, I'm with friends or sleeping so...

            When Cas got back to the apartment, he was greeted Gabriel and Winchester Jumbo-sized cuddling on the couch. The sight filled Cas with a bittersweet delight. He couldn’t be happier for Gabriel—his brother who had always been there for him, who did his best to support him, who suffered with his career, was finally happy. Gabriel hadn’t had any kind of relationship since high school. To see him smiling and giggling like he was a schoolgirl warmed Cas’s heart. And yet, it stung. His chest felt tight and he felt and overwhelming sense of jealousy. _Why can’t that be us?_ Cas wondered to himself. _What did I say? Why is Dean like this? Ugh, I should have known better. Someone like him could never love someone like me…_

            Cas tried to quietly slip into his bedroom without being noticed. One of them must have noticed the movement, for Sam jumped to his feet suddenly. His long, hair billowing wildly in the process. The moose-man’s eyes settled on Cas for a moment before he visibly relaxed. “Oh, hey Cas. Is Dean still outside?”

            He didn’t remember the older Winchester driving away, but he shrugged. “Uh, I’m not sure? I didn’t hear him drive off so…”

            Sam nodded and turned back to Gabriel. “I should probably go… My brother’s waiting for me, I think,” he said softly. Cas didn’t miss the affection that filled Sam’s eyes and voice as he addressed the smaller man. “I’ll see you soon?”

            Gabriel smirked. It would look devious to any outsider, but Cas saw the excitement lurking in his honey-colored eyes. “Definitely, Samsquatch.”

            The taller man snorted and ruffled Gabriel’s hair. “Whatever, short-stuff.” Both men chuckled before Sam turned towards the door. He glanced over at Cas and gave him a brief smile. “See ya, Cas.”

            “Goodbye, Sam,” he replied, watching as the 6’4 man left their tiny apartment, ducking his head slightly in order to fit out the door. The moment the Winchester was gone, Cas went and flopped onto the couch. “Gabriel console me.”

            “What?” the older Novak asked, his voice thick with amusement.

            “My date went horribly.”

            A sigh was the response as Gabriel lifted Cas’s legs off the couch. Cas watched as his brother sat down before letting Cas’s legs rest in his lap. “Tell Dr. Sexy MD all about it, Cassie.”

            “Never say that to me again. Save that kinky stuff for Sam,” Cas grumbled, not in the mood for Gabriel’s joke.

            “Ouch, you’re really in a bad mood, aren’t you?”

            Cas sighed. He wasn’t mad at Gabriel for cracking jokes. He wasn’t mad at Sam for having a happy relationship with his brother. He wasn’t even mad at Dean for making him feel so terrible. He was mad at himself because he knew that, somehow, it was _his_ fault and no one else’s. “I fucked up, Gabriel… But I don’t know what I did… Help.”

            “Alright, well why don’t you just tell me what happened first?” he suggested.

            Taking a deep breath, Cas recited the entire evening to Gabriel, even including the _really_ good parts and, most importantly, the _really_ bad. “I don’t understand… What did I say? Like after I said that, Dean just got really quiet and… He just… kinda… seemed disappointed in me. I hate it. I want it to stop. Help me fix it.”

            Gabriel thought for a moment, not answering Cas at all. The younger Novak stared at the game show on the TV despondently as he waited for his brother’s answer. He knew that Gabriel took a while to think things like this through, especially when asked a serious question. “You know,” he finally said, his eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. “Dean’s an attractive guy—you know I prefer Samsquatch, but, Dean is like… angel-worthy. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a modeling career. A guy like Dean… I don’t doubt he gets hit on twenty-four-seven… Mostly because he is so fucking hot… Maybe… Maybe Dean is tired of being liked and… _asked out_ because of his looks. I think he was looking for something less… physical. I mean, you included other stuff, but the whole physical thing might have bothered him?”

            Cas sat up then, considering this. “You really think…? But like you said, Dean is like… the sexiest man alive. It’d be hard for me _not_ to mention it.”

            He shrugged. “I get it, man… I think Dean does too… In a way. Maybe you just need to talk to him and make it clear that you don’t like him or wanna be with him because he looks like an angel.”

            “Okay…” Cas said softly. “I see what you mean. I’ll try that.” He got off the couch, ready to retreat to his room and think of something to say to Dean. He paused, glancing back at his brother who was still watching him. “Oh, and… thanks, Gabe. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

            Gabriel gave him a cheeky smile. “Oh, probably crash and burn.” Cas turned away to head back to his room, but was called back but his brother again. “Cas!” He turned again and saw that Gabriel’s face looked conflicted. “I… uh… I never thanked you for… telling Sam about me. He never would have known I existed if it weren’t for you I… Shit, Cassie, I’m not good at—”

            Cas raised a hand, bringing his brother’s tumbled words to a halt. “Don’t worry about it. You’d do the same for me. Especially if you knew it’d make me uncomfortable.”

            That made Gabriel smile. “You bet your ass I would.”

 

____________________

 

            Cas took a long shower, enjoying the warmth of the water as it ran over his skin and tense muscles. He mostly kept his eyes closed and let his mind wander. For a long time, it was on Dean. It wasn’t like the first time Cas thought of Dean in the shower—this time he tried to think of all the reasons he did like Dean. He was gentle. He was kind. He made Cas feel…

            He opened his eyes then, and knew exactly what he was going to tell Dean.

            Cas got out of the shower and toweled off quickly. After pulling on a pair of boxers and a loose shirt, he went to his bedroom, phone in hand. He stared at the last messaging conversation he’d had with Dean. Most of it was silly, insignificant stuff, but it all made Cas smile nonetheless. It was the little things that made a relationship worth it all. He laid on his bed and stared up at his phone, trying to think of the right way to phrase what he wanted to say.

 

**Cas: Hey dean. Im sorry about what happened at the drive-in. I guess I just didnt know what to say?**

**Cas: Im not used to being with someone like you. Theres never been anyone like you in my life ever.**

**Cas: Youre perfect and Im not.**

**Cas: I hate myself dean. Ive always hated myself because im never good enough. But being around you… your smile your voice the way you look at me like I matter like im important**

**Cas: Dean being around you makes me forget what hating myself feels like**

            Cas closed his phone and placed it on the bed beside him. He rubbed his face tiredly. A sick feeling was swimming around in his abdomen. A part of him wanted to puke. _Why am I so needy? Why do I say anything at all? Ugh. Dean will really be scared of me now…_

            The minutes ticked by, each slower and more torturous than the last. A half hour seemed like an eternity as Cas waited for Dean’s response. His mind ran wild as he struggled to think what could be taking him so long. First, his mind when to the usual train of thought— _Dean hates me. Why would he answer me at all?_ Then, it slowly transitioned into more rational thoughts. _Maybe he’s showering too… Maybe he just got off work. Maybe he’s trying to think about how to respond to my texts… Maybe he is typing a novel out for me about how much he loves—no… Not even when I’m trying to be happy can I imagine that._

            Finally, Cas’s phone lit up. He nearly sent himself sailing off the bed as he fumbled to open the phone. His heart raced as his eyes devoured the message.

 

**Dean: aw cas. fuck i didnt mean to make you feel bad. im sorry i started acting so weird its just that most people who end up dating me usually just do it because of my looks not because they actually like me as a person. im so used to it i guess that i just expect it from everyone. i really wanted it not to be that way for us. i guess i just got scared. im sorry.**

 

            Cas felt like a giant weight had been lifted off his chest. He let out a relieved sigh. Feeling like a love-struck character in _Wuthering Heights_ , Cas clutched the phone to his chest. _Thank God…_ he thought to himself before sending another message to Dean.

 

**Cas: Thank you. I was so worried. I just dont want you to leave.**

 

            He wanted to add more, but decided to leave it there. _Don’t sound too needy, Cas._

            Moments later, his phone lit up with the notification of a reply.

 

**Dean: i aint goin nowhere angelface. ill make u love urself yet**


End file.
